cut.

Yan Xiaosan: "Xiao Er saw it all."

"What?"

"You two are hugging each other. Of course, he didn't mean to look. He just glances at you every now and then to make sure his master is alright."

Qi Su rolled her eyes.

"What misunderstanding do you have about me? I've already told you he's my husband. What's the point of hugging? We used to sleep together."

Yan Xiaosan's expression was complicated.

"Are you serious? I thought you were just being sweet-talking and taking advantage of your master."

Qi Su: "...You better watch out. I'll be your mistress from now on. Do you think your master would let other women take advantage of him?"

No, not at all.

But he was a monk, and had always stayed in the temple, so he didn't have many opportunities.

Yan Xiaosan sighed softly.

"It's all over."

"What do you mean?" Qi Su asked, displeased.

Yan Xiaosan: "Master Subhuti of Huatan Temple once said that the tribulation of love is the most difficult to overcome. A woman is more terrifying than hundreds or thousands of enemies."

Qi Su: "Who says otherwise? Men only slow down my sword-drawing speed."

Yan Xiaosan: "What?"

Qi Su: "Ahem, I mean, we are truly in love. Even Master Subhuti couldn't separate us!"

Yan Xiaosan: "Let's get past Princess Anle first."

.

Early the next morning.

Qi Su instructed people to prepare a carriage to go to Nan Jing Hutong in the south of the city.

The shopkeeper of the rouge shop thoughtfully provided her with a full complement of servants, maids, and a coachman.

…

Before Qi San Niang was five years old, Grandma Zhu was more important to her than her aunt.

Later, Grandma Zhu fell seriously ill.

They lived in a town called Fanji at that time. The very skilled old doctor had not yet moved there, and there was only a barefoot doctor nearby.

None of them could cure Grandma Zhu's illness.

Later, whether it was because of Qi Su's pleading or because Aunt Ji finally remembered the years of companionship, it was unclear.

They took Grandma Zhu to the city for medical treatment.

And then, the grandmother who had always doted on Qi Su in her memory never came back.

Aunt Ji said that she died of illness.

She was the young Qi San Niang, and for the first time, she deeply felt what death was.

Death will be here in this life, and you will never see it again.

Unexpectedly, someone told her that someone who had died more than ten years ago was still alive.

…

Upon arriving at Nanjiang Hutong, the maidservant went down to scout ahead.

He didn't return until half an hour later.

“Replying to your question, Madam, there is no old lady surnamed Zhu in Nanjiang Hutong. However, after making some inquiries, I found that there was indeed an old lady who moved here from another place more than ten years ago, and her surname was Zhang.”

Twelve years ago, Grandma Zhang returned to Ganjing with her son and settled in Nanjiang Hutong.

It is said that her family was from the capital. After she married out of the capital, her husband died, so she returned with her son.

Although he returned, he no longer had any relatives in Kyoto.

They lived a very frugal life.

Grandma Zhang went blind a few years ago due to illness. Although she is over sixty years old, she is still washing clothes for people.

To earn some pocket money to supplement the family income.

…

The maid led Qi Su to the address they had found out.

Nanjiang Hutong is a large hutong with several smaller hutongs nearby, all connected by a network of smaller hutongs. The residents were mostly small businesses, workers, and farmers from the southern part of the city.

It was in a small courtyard with mud walls.

An old woman was washing clothes under a jujube tree.

It's only the end of the first month of the lunar calendar, and the weather in Beijing isn't exactly warm.

The thin midday sun shone overhead.

The old woman with gray hair and pudding on her body was sitting on a small wooden stool.

He fumbled around, washing clothes on the washboard.

Both hands were already bruised and swollen from frostbite.

Although the old woman was blind, her hearing was very sharp.

His face was turned toward Qi Su and the servants.

She wiped her red, frozen fingers on the apron around her waist and asked solicitously:

"Does the guest need to do laundry?"

A gust of wind blew through the jujube tree, which was covered with a few withered leaves, like a ballad.

The crescent moon shines over the whole country, bringing joy to some and sorrow to others.

How many couples share a bedchamber, while others wander aimlessly outside? (—From a folk song of the Southern Song Dynasty)

As a child, Qi San Niangzi did not understand the meaning of this folk song.

I just found the melody to be long and melancholic, and very beautiful.

She lay on Grandma Zhu's back as they walked along the lush, tree-lined path beside the ancient well in the summer.

We walked through wheat fields bathed in the red glow of the evening sun.

Step onto the riverbank where peach blossoms are sparsely in bloom.

Grandma Zhu would always sing this song, her rough hands gently stroking the child, rocking her until she was drowsy.

…

Although she had aged considerably and her hair had turned white, the image of this old woman overlapped with that of the old woman in my memory, carrying Qi Su on her back as she returned home from the fields.

Qi Su nodded to the maid beside her.

The maidservant went to strike up a conversation with the old woman.

It's simply a matter of how the laundry fee is settled, when it can be paid, where the homeowner lives, and whether the clothes are delivered or picked up from their home.

.

Qi Su sat under the wall, basking in the sun.

Before long, the maid led the blind old woman over.

"My wife wants to say a few more words to you."

Before even getting close, I could already smell the incense on Qi Su's clothes and the fragrance of her face cream.

The old woman wiped her hands on her apron again.

She gathered her gray hair before stepping forward.

Qi Su sized her up.

Although he is old, apart from his blindness, he looks to be in relatively good health.

Although his clothes were worn, they were clean.

It's clear that the person taking care of her is quite attentive.

"This old woman greets the lady." The old woman bowed, and just by looking at her posture, it was clear that she had been specially trained.

I heard a faint rustling of wind; it was the young lady at the head of the table approaching.

"Grandma Zhu," a young woman's voice called out.

"It's been so many years, Grandma, how are you?"

With the sound, her rough, red, and swollen hand was pulled and held in someone's palm.

Grandma Zhu: "...Who is your wife?"

The girl didn't answer, but instead hummed a few lines of a song softly.

The crescent moon shines over the whole country, bringing joy to some and sorrow to others.

A few couples share a bed, while others wander aimlessly outside?

"Me? I'm the Qi family girl from Fanji village. Do you remember me, Grandma Zhu?" The girl's smiling voice was close to my ear.

Grandma Zhu suddenly began to tremble.

A young girl from the Qi family in Caiji countryside.

That's not it...

Then the little girl continued, "Grandma's fried dough twists are the best. My aunt's surname is Ji."

Grandma Zhu remained silent, but tears streamed down her tightly closed eyes.

The little girl continued, "Grandma, don't worry. The third daughter of the Marquis of Changping's mansion is dead. The one standing in front of you now is no longer a lady from a high-ranking family, but just a little girl you took care of when she was young."

Grandma Zhu called out, "Third Sister..."

.

More than a decade ago, Grandma Zhu was not a washerwoman.

Instead, she worked for a wealthy family.

She was an old woman hired by that wealthy family to take care of the concubine and make snacks.